The first thing we are going to do is prepare the salad dressing, which is what is going to give us all the flavor of the carbonara. In a small bowl, mix two egg yolks, three tablespoons of lemon juice, one of Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper. We are going to beat the dressing vigorously while slowly adding 120 ml of extra virgin olive oil. The dressing should emulsify and be creamy and slightly thick. Now add 30 grams of grated cheese. We mix everything and correct salt, pepper and acidity to taste. We booked.
Now we are going to cook the guanciale –or any other bacon we have– in a pan, over medium heat. It should be nicely browned and crispy.
Place the pancetta and a tablespoon of olive oil in a cold skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until fat has melted and pancetta is nicely browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, we reserve it on a plate, leaving all the fat that has been released. In it we will cook some croutons, with salt and a little black pepper, stirring frequently, until they are golden. Add a clove of grated garlic and continue stirring until the garlic is well cooked. Remove from heat and reserve.
We already have all the ingredients and we only have to assemble the salad. In a large bowl, we put the lettuce that we like the most (if possible with a crunchy variety such as romaine or escarole). Add part of the dressing –we can add more until it is to our liking–, another 30 g of grated cheese, the bacon and the croutons. We can give a final touch of black pepper. And ready.